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baldric

or bal·drick

[bawl-drik]
noun
  1. a belt, sometimes richly ornamented, worn diagonally from shoulder to hip, supporting a sword, horn, etc.
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Origin of baldric

1250–1300; Middle English bauderik, bawdryk, baudry < Anglo-French baudré, baldré, Old French baldrei, baudré, perhaps < Frankish *baltirad sword belt, equivalent to Latin balte(us) belt + Germanic *-rad provision, equipment (compare Old High German rat); source of final -ik uncertain
Related formsbal·dricked, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for baldric

Historical Examples

  • He set the example by putting one on like a baldric, Mark doing the same with the other.

    The Black Tor

    George Manville Fenn

  • Their cartridge-pouch and their bayonet are slung to their right side by a baldric.

    The Human Race

    Louis Figuier

  • We heard him getting into his boots again and buckling on his baldric.

    Helmet of Navarre

    Bertha Runkle

  • The Chevalier squared his shoulders and shifted his baldric.

    The Grey Cloak

    Harold MacGrath

  • It hung from its own baldric with an axe and a round shield.

    A Sea Queen's Sailing

    Charles Whistler

British Dictionary definitions for baldric

baldric

noun
  1. a wide silk sash or leather belt worn over the right shoulder to the left hip for carrying a sword, etc
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Word Origin

C13: from Old French baudrei, of Frankish origin
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for baldric

n.

c.1300, "belt worn over the shoulder," from Old French baldre (Modern French baudrier "shoulder-belt"), which probably is from Latin balteus "belt," said by Varro to be of Etruscan origin. The English word perhaps influenced by Middle High German balderich (which itself is from the Old French).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper